Backpack type device

ABSTRACT

A backpack type device may include a body, a shoulder belt configured to be strapped on a shoulder of a user, and a waist belt configured to be wrapped around a waist of the user. The waist belt may be configured to switch between a state in which a lower end of the waist belt is below a lower surface of the body and a state in which the lower end of the waist belt is above the lower surface of the body. The backpack type device may be configured capable of being placed on a horizontal plane with the lower surface of the body in contact with the horizontal plane on which the backpack type device is placed in the state in which the lower end of the waist belt is above the lower surface of the body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2018-192879, filed on Oct. 11, 2018, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technique disclosed herein relates to a backpack type device.

BACKGROUND

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-216304 describes abackpack type device provided with a body, a shoulder belt to bestrapped onto a shoulder of a user, and a waist belt to be wrappedaround a waist of the user. The waist belt is in a state where a lowerend of the waist belt is located below a lower surface of the body.

SUMMARY

In the technique of Japanese Patent Application Publication No.2011-216304, when the lower surface of the body is brought into contactwith a horizontal plane to let the body be placed on the horizontalplane, the waist belt interferes with the horizontal plane and the bodycannot be placed on the horizontal plane stably. The description hereinprovides an art for a backpack type device configured capable oflocating a lower end of a waist belt below a lower surface of a body,and the art is configured to enable the lower surface of the body tocontact a horizontal plane and to be placed on the horizontal plane.

A backpack type device disclosed herein may comprise a body, a shoulderbelt configured to be strapped on a shoulder of a user, and a waist beltconfigured to be wrapped around a waist of the user. The waist belt maybe configured to switch between a state in which a lower end of thewaist belt is below a lower surface of the body and a state in which thelower end of the waist belt is above the lower surface of the body. Thebackpack type device may be configured capable of being placed on ahorizontal plane with the lower surface of the body in contact with thehorizontal plane on which the backpack type device is placed in thestate in which the lower end of the waist belt is above the lowersurface of the body.

According to the above configuration, when the user uses the backpacktype device by carrying it on his/her back, a position of the waist beltcan be adjusted to a position of the user's waist by bringing the waistbelt to the state where the lower end of the waist belt is located belowthe lower surface of the body, and burden on a user's body can bereduced. Further, upon placing the backpack type device on thehorizontal plane, the lower surface of the body can be brought intocontact with the horizontal plane to be placed on the horizontal planein the state where the lower end of the waist belt is located above thelower surface of the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view seeing a backpack type power supply device2 according to an embodiment from a right lower rear side.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view seeing a main body part 4 of the backpacktype power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from a rightupper front side.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view seeing the main body part 4 of the backpacktype power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from the rightlower rear side.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view seeing the main body part 4 of the backpacktype power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from the rightlower rear side with a cover 16 in an open state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view seeing the main body part 4 of the backpacktype power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from the rightlower rear side with the cover 16 opened and in a state where batterypacks 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d are detached.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view seeing the main body part 4 of the backpacktype power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from a left upperfront side in a state where the cover 16, the battery packs 20 a, 20 b,20 c, 204, and an inner housing 24 are detached.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a cover holding mechanism 46 of thebackpack type power supply device 2 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view seeing a cover holder 47 in a releasedposition in the main body part 4 of the backpack type power supplydevice 2 according to the embodiment from a right upper rear side.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view seeing the cover holder 47 in a holdingposition in the main body part 4 of the backpack type power supplydevice 2 according to the embodiment from the right upper rear side.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view seeing a back-carried part 6 of thebackpack type power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from theright upper rear side.

FIG. 11 is perspective view seeing the back-carried part 6 of thebackpack type power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from theright upper front side.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view seeing shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b of thebackpack type power supply device 2 according to the embodiment from theright upper rear side.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view seeing a back plate 60 of the back-carriedpart 6 of the backpack type power supply device 2 according to theembodiment from the right upper front side.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view seeing a support plate 62 of theback-carried part 6 of the backpack type power supply device 2 accordingto the embodiment from the right upper rear side.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a lock mechanism 64 of theback-carried part 6 of the backpack type power supply device 2 accordingto the embodiment in a state of having rotated the lock mechanism 64downward.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the lock mechanism 64 of theback-carried part 6 of the backpack type power supply device 2 accordingto the embodiment in a state of having rotated the lock mechanism 64upward.

FIG. 17 is a plan view seeing the backpack type power supply device 2according to the embodiment from a left side in a state where thesupport plate 62 is slid downward relative to the back plate 60.

FIG. 18 is a plan view seeing the backpack type power supply device 2according to the embodiment from the left side in a state where thesupport plate 62 is slid upward relative to the back plate 60.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view seeing holding bands 76 a, 76 b of theshoulder belts 8 a, 8 b of the backpack type power supply device 2according to the embodiment from the left upper front side.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a cable holder 120 configured todetachably attach to each of the holding bands 76 a, 76 b of theshoulder belts 8 a, 8 b of the backpack type power supply device 2according to the embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a cable holder 130 configured todetachably attach to each of the holding bands 76 a, 76 b of theshoulder belts 8 a, 8 b of the backpack type power supply device 2according to the embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a cable holder 140 configured todetachably attach to each of the holding bands 76 a, 76 b of theshoulder belts 8 a, 8 b of the backpack type power supply device 2according to the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a plan view seeing a main body part 4 of a backpack typepower supply device 2 according to a variant from a rear side in a statewhere a support rod 56 is shifted down.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the main body part 4 of thebackpack type power supply device 2 according to the variant in a stateof having shifted the support rod 56 up and brought it into contact witha cover 16.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of a lock mechanism 64 of aback-carried part 6 of a backpack type power supply device 2 accordingto a variant.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of an attaching portion of a waist belt 10 to aback-carried part 6 in a backpack type power supply device 2 accordingto a variant seen from a front side.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of the attaching portion of the waist belt 10 tothe back-carried part 6 in the backpack type power supply device 2according to the variant seen from a left side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Representative, non-limiting examples of the present disclosure will nowbe described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings.This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skillin the art further details for practicing aspects of the presentteachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachingsdisclosed below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with otherfeatures and teachings to provide improved backpack type devices, aswell as methods for using and manufacturing the same.

Moreover, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the followingdetailed description may not be necessary to practice the presentdisclosure in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely toparticularly describe representative examples of the present disclosure.Furthermore, various features of the above-described and below-describedrepresentative examples, as well as the various independent anddependent claims, may be combined in ways that are not specifically andexplicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodimentsof the present teachings.

All features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intendedto be disclosed separately and independently from each other for thepurpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose ofrestricting the claimed subject matter, independent of the compositionsof the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. In addition, allvalue ranges or indications of groups of entities are intended todisclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity forthe purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purposeof restricting the claimed subject matter.

In one or more embodiments, a battery mount device may comprise: ahousing to which a battery pack is detachably attached; and a coverattached to the housing so as to cover the battery pack and configuredto open and close by rotating around a rotation axis. Force in adirection closing the cover may act on the cover in a state where thebattery mount device is placed on a horizontal plane.

According to the above configuration, since the force in the directionclosing the cover acts on the cover in the state where the battery mountdevice is placed on the horizontal plane, the cover can surely be keptclosed. Due to this, the battery pack can be suppressed from becomingwet even when water splashes on the battery mount device.

In one or more embodiments, the battery mount device may furthercomprise a sealer configured to seal a periphery of the cover when thecover is closed.

According to the above configuration, even in the case where watersplashes on the battery mount device, the battery pack can surely besuppressed from becoming wet.

In one or more embodiments, the battery mount device may furthercomprise a biasing member configured to bias the cover in the directionclosing the cover. The force in the direction closing the cover thatacts on the cover in the state where the battery mount device is placedon the horizontal plane may include biasing force applied by the biasingmember.

According to the above configuration, the biasing member biases thecover in the direction closing the cover even if the battery mountdevice is not in a placed state on a horizontal plane. Even in the casewhere water splashes on the battery mount device while being in thestate where the battery mount device is not placed on a horizontalplane, the battery pack can be suppressed from becoming wet.

In one or more embodiments, the battery mount device may furthercomprise a lock mechanism configured to hold a state where the cover isclosed after the cover is closed.

According to the above configuration, even in a case where force in adirection opening the cover inadvertently acts on the cover in the statewhere the cover is closed, the closed state of the cover can bemaintained. A situation in which the battery pack becomes wet by watercan surely be avoided.

In one or more embodiments, a battery mount device may comprise: ahousing to which a battery pack is detachably attached; a cover attachedto the housing so as to cover the battery pack and configured to openand close by rotating around a rotation axis; and a cover holdingmechanism capable of holding the cover in an open state. The coverholding mechanism may include a cover holder configured to move, inresponse to an operation by a user, between a holding position where thecover holder interferes with a rotating motion of the cover and areleased position where the cover holder does not interfere with therotating motion of the cover.

According to the above configuration, upon attaching or detaching thebattery pack onto or from the housing, the cover can be held in the openstate by the cover holding mechanism, thus a user does not need to holdthe cover with his/her one hand to hold it in the open state. Attachingor detaching work of the battery pack can easily be performed.

In one or more embodiments, the cover holding mechanism may furthercomprise a first biasing member configured to bias the cover holder fromthe holding position toward the released position.

According to the above configuration, after the attaching or detachingwork of the battery pack has been completed, the cover holder can bereturned to the released position from the holding position by thebiasing force of the first biasing member.

In one or more embodiments, the battery mount device may furthercomprise a second biasing member configured to bias the cover in thedirection closing the cover.

According to the above configuration, in a situation where the attachingor detaching work of the battery pack is not performed, the cover cansurely be kept closed.

In one or more embodiments, the battery mount device may furthercomprise a power output configured to output power from the battery packto another device. A shoulder belt configured to be strapped on ashoulder of a user may be configured attachable to the battery mountdevice

According to the above configuration, a backpack type power supplydevice using the battery mount device can be realized.

In one or more embodiments, the rotation axis may extend along alongitudinal direction of the housing.

If the rotation axis of the cover is orthogonal to the longitudinaldirection of the housing, a tip of the cover rotates on a largetrajectory upon opening and closing the cover, thus it could easilyinterfere with a body of the user or with a surrounding object. Byconfiguring the rotation axis to extend along the longitudinal directionof the housing as above, the tip of the cover can be rotated on a smalltrajectory upon opening and closing the cover, and interference with thebody of the user or with the surrounding object can be suppressed fromoccurring.

In one or more embodiments, the battery pack may be configuredattachable to and detachable from the housing by sliding in a slidingdirection with respect to the housing. The sliding direction may besubstantially parallel to a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis.

According to the above configuration, the cover does not interfere uponopening the cover relative to the housing and sliding the battery packin the sliding direction relative to the housing. The attaching ordetaching work of the battery pack can easily be performed.

In one or more embodiments, the battery pack may comprise a plurality ofbattery packs and the housing may be configured to arrange the batterypacks side by side in the longitudinal direction of the housing.

According to the above configuration, upon sliding one of the batterypacks in the sliding direction relative to the housing, other batterypack(s) attached to the housing do not interfere. The attaching ordetaching work of the battery pack can more easily be performed.

In one or more embodiments, a cable holder may comprise a bandattachment section configured to be detachably attached to a band whicha user is wearing, and a cable holding section configured to detachablyhold a cable. The band attachment section and the cable holding sectionmay be configured integrally.

According to the above configuration, since the band attachment sectionis configured to detachably attach to the band, only the cable holdercan be detached without the user having have to take off the band he/sheis wearing.

In one or more embodiments, the band attachment section may include agap, and may have a shape that surrounds a periphery of the band.

According to the above configuration, the cable holder can be detachedfrom or attached to the band by taking out or inserting the band from orinto the band attachment section through the gap.

In one or more embodiments, the band attachment section may have across-sectional shape that facilitates rolling. The cross-sectionalshape that facilitates rolling herein may be a substantially circularshape, a substantially oval shape, a substantially square shape withrounded corners, and a polygonal shape of which corners form obtuseangles, such as a substantially hexagonal shape and a substantiallyoctagonal shape.

According to the above configuration, when an external force in adirection of shifting the cable holder down acts on the cable holderattached to the band, the cable holder shifts down without fightingagainst the external force, thus the cable holder can be suppressed frombeing damaged.

In one or more embodiments, the cable holding section may have a shapeincluding an opening. A width of the opening may be smaller than a cablediameter of the cable in a normal state, and may become larger than thecable diameter of the cable by elastic deformation of the cable holdingsection upon attaching or detaching the cable.

According to the above configuration, the cable can be detached from orattached to the cable holder by taking out or inserting the cable fromor into the cable holding section through the opening. Further,according to the above configuration, when large force acts on thecable, such as when a device connected to the cable falls and the cableis thereby yanked, the cable detaches from the cable holder, and thecable separates away from the band which the user is wearing. Byconfiguring as above, user safety can be ensured.

In one or more embodiments, the band may be provided on a shoulder beltof a backpack type power supply device. The cable may be a power cableextending from the backpack type power supply device.

According to the above configuration, the power cable extending from thebackpack type power supply device is extended from a back of the userover a shoulder along a chest of the user, the power cable can besuppressed from becoming loose and sagged.

In one or more embodiments, a backpack type device may comprise a body,a shoulder belt configured to be strapped on a shoulder of a user, and awaist belt configured to be wrapped around a waist of the user. Thewaist belt may be configured to switch between a state in which a lowerend of the waist belt is below a lower surface of the body and a statein which the lower end of the waist belt is above the lower surface ofthe body. The backpack type device may be configured capable of beingplaced on a horizontal plane with the lower surface of the body incontact with the horizontal plane on which the backpack type device isplaced in the state in which the lower end of the waist belt is abovethe lower surface of the body.

According to the above configuration, when the user uses the backpacktype device by carrying it on his/her back, a position of the waist beltcan be adjusted to a position of the waist of the user by bringing thewaist belt to be in the state of having the lower end of the waist beltlocated below the lower surface of the body, by which a burden on auser's body can be reduced. Further, upon placing the backpack typedevice on a horizontal plane, the lower surface of the body can bebrought into contact with the horizontal plane on which the backpacktype device is placed by bringing the waist belt to be in the state ofhaving the lower end of the waist belt located above the lower surfaceof the body.

In one or more embodiments, the body may comprise a main body portion,and a back carrier portion to which the main body portion is detachablyattached and to which the shoulder belt and the waist belt are attached.

According to the above configuration, usage and maintenance of the mainbody part may be carried out in a state of having detached the main bodypart from the back-carried part.

In one or more embodiments, the back carrier portion may comprise: aback plate to which an upper end of the shoulder belt is attached; asupport plate to which the waist belt is attached and a position ofwhich in an up-down direction relative to the back plate is configuredchangeable, and a lock mechanism configured to fix the position of thesupport plate in the up-down direction relative to the back plate. Themain body portion and/or the back plate may constitute the lower surfaceof the body.

According to the above configuration, the state where the lower end ofthe waist belt is located below the lower surface of the body and thestate where the lower end of the waist belt is located above the lowersurface of the body can be switched with a relatively simpleconfiguration.

In one or more embodiments, the waist belt may be attached to the bodyso as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a front-reardirection relative to the body. The rotation axis may be separated awayfrom a center of the waist belt in an up-down direction.

According to the above configuration, the waist belt can be switchedfrom the state where the lower end of the waist belt is located belowthe lower surface of the body to the state where the lower end of thewaist belt is located above the lower surface of the body by rotating180 degrees around the rotation axis relative to the body. The switchbetween the state where the lower end of the waist belt is located belowthe lower surface of the body and the state where the lower end of thewaist belt is located above the lower surface of the body can beperformed with a relatively simple configuration.

In one or more embodiments, the waist belt may be detachably attached tothe body by a hook-and-loop fastener.

According to the above configuration, the state where the lower end ofthe waist belt is located below the lower surface of the body and thestate where the lower end of the waist belt is located above the lowersurface of the body can be switched by adjusting an attaching positionof the waist belt in the up-down direction relative to the body. Thestate where the lower end of the waist belt is located below the lowersurface of the body and the state where the lower end of the waist beltis located above the lower surface of the body can be switched with arelatively simple configuration.

Embodiments

A backpack type power supply device 2 shown in FIG. 1 is configured tobe used in a state where a user carries it on his/her back, and is abackpack type power supply device configured to supply power to varioustypes of electrically-powered devices. The backpack type power supplydevice 2 comprises a main body part 4, a back-carried part 6 detachablyattached to the main body part 4, shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b attached tothe back-carried part 6 and configured to be strapped onto user'sshoulders, and a waist belt 10 attached to the back-carried part 6 andconfigured to be wrapped on a user's waist. The waist belt 10 has apouch 12 for accommodating attachments (not shown) detachably attachedthereto. In the below description, a front-rear direction, a left-rightdirection, and an up-down direction as seen from the user when the useris standing while carrying the backpack type power supply device 2 onhis/her back are termed a front-rear direction, a left-right direction,and an up-down direction of the backpack type power supply device 2.Further, in the below description, the main body part 4 and theback-carried part 6 may collectively be termed a body 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body part 4 has a substantially rectangularshape with its longitudinal direction along the up-down direction andits short direction along the front-rear direction. The main body part 4is provided with a coupling surface P disposed at a front end andarranged substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction. The mainbody part 4 is attached to the back-carried part 6 via the couplingsurface P.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a state of being detached from the back-carriedpart 6, the main body part 4 may be placed on a horizontal plane bybringing the coupling surface P into contact with the horizontal planesuch as a ground surface (not shown). The main body part 4 is providedwith a frame 14, a cover 16, and a handle 18. The cover 16 is attachedto the frame 14 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extendingin the up-down direction in a vicinity of a left end of the frame 14.The handle 18 is detachably attached in a vicinity of an upper end ofthe frame 14. The user can grip onto the handle 18 to carry the mainbody part 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 dis accommodated inside the main body part 4. Each of the battery packs20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d includes a secondary battery cell such as alithium ion battery cell (not shown), and is configured rechargeable bya charger (not shown). Each of the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 dhas a rated voltage of 18V and a rated capacity of 6.0 Ah, for example.The battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d are slidable battery packsconfigured capable of being attached or detached by sliding along apredetermined sliding direction relative to battery receptacles 22 a, 22b, 22 c, 22 d (see FIG. 5) of the main body part 4. The slidingdirection of the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d is along theleft-right direction, for example. In this case, when the battery packs20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d are to be attached, the battery packs 20 a, 20 b,20 c, 20 d are slid leftward relative to the battery receptacles 22 a,22 b, 22 c, 22 d, and when the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d areto be detached, the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d are slidrightward relative to the battery receptacles 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d.Since the rotation axis of the cover 16 is arranged in the vicinity ofthe left end of the frame 14, the cover 16 is located at a left rearside of the battery receptacles 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d in an open stateof the cover 16. Due to this, the opened cover 16 does not interferewith attachment or detachment of the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20d.

As shown in FIG. 5, the frame 14 is provided with a box-shaped baseportion 14 a having its bottom surface along the coupling surface P andbeing opened rearward, and a support portion 14 b protruding rearward ina wall shape from a lower end of the base portion 14 a. The base portion14 a is provided with an inner housing 24 having a shape that covers theopening. The battery receptacles 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d are provided ona rear surface of the inner housing 24. Further, an operation portion 26and a display portion 28 are provided at a lower portion of a right sidesurface of the base portion 14 a. The operation portion 26 is configuredto accept operations by the user to the backpack type power supplydevice 2, such as an operation to turn on or turn off main power. Thedisplay portion 28 is configured to present information related to astate of the backpack type power supply device 2 to the user, such asinformation related to remaining charges of the battery packs 20 a, 20b, 20 c, 20 d attached to the battery receptacles 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22d, for example. In the following description, the frame 14, the innerhousing 24, and the battery receptacles 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d maycollectively be termed a housing 15.

As shown in FIG. 6, a control board 30, an operation board 32, a displayboard 34, and a noise filter 36 are accommodated inside the base portion14 a. The control board 30 is electrically connected to the batterypacks 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d attached to the battery receptacles 22 a,22 b, 22 c, 22 d. The control board 30 is configured to adjust powersupplied from the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d to a desiredoutput voltage and supply the same to a power cable 38 (see FIG. 2). Thecontrol board 30 is configured to supply power with a rated voltage of36V to the power cable 38 by connecting a serial connection of thebattery packs 20 a, 20 b and a serial connection of the battery packs 20c, 20 d in parallel, for example. Alternatively, the control board 30may be configured to supply power with the rated voltage of 18V to thepower cable 38 by connecting the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d inparallel. The operation board 32 and the display board 34 are connectedto the control board 30. The operation board 32 is configured to detectan operation performed on the operation portion 26 by the user andoutput the same to the control board 30. The display board 34 isconfigured to perform display on the display portion 28 according toinstructions from the control board 30. The noise filter 36 isconfigured to suppress noise from being superposed on an output to thepower cable 38. As shown in FIG. 2, the power cable 38 extends downwardfrom a vicinity of the lower end of the base portion 14 a, then curvesrightward or leftward (rightward in the example of FIG. 2), and is drawnout to exterior from a right side surface or a left side surface (theright side surface in the example of FIG. 2) of the base portion 14 a.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cover 16 is provided with a torsion spring 40.The torsion spring 40 is configured to bias the cover 16 in a closingdirection relative to the frame 14. Further, in a state where the mainbody part 4 is placed on a horizontal plane with the coupling surface Pcontacting the horizontal plane, gravity that acts on the cover 16 actson the cover 16 as force in the direction of closing the cover 16. Thebase portion 14 a is provided with a sealer 42 at a portion thatcontacts a periphery of the cover 16 when the cover 16 is closed. Thesealer 42 is a rubber packing, for example. The cover 16 is providedwith a latch member 44 which the user can operate. In the state wherethe cover 16 is closed, the latch member 44 engages with a latchreceiver 14 c of the base portion 14 a to hold the cover 16 in theclosed state. Instead of the latch member 44 and the latch receiver 14c, the state in which the cover 16 is closed may be maintained by apermanent magnet (not shown) provided on one of the cover 16 and thebase portion 14 a and a magnetic body (not shown) provided on the otherof the cover 16 and the base portion 14 a.

Instead of the torsion spring 40, the cover 16 may be biased in theclosing direction relative to the frame 14 by a tension spring (notshown) having one end rotatably retained on the cover 16 and another endrotatably retained on the frame 14.

The support portion 14 b is provided with a cover holding mechanism 46.As shown in FIG. 7, the cover holding mechanism 46 is attached to athrough hole 14 d provided in the support portion 14 b. The coverholding mechanism 46 is provided with a button 48 arranged below thesupport portion 14 b, an engaging piece 50 arranged above the supportportion 14 b, a screw 52 inserted in the through hole 14 d and fixingthe button 48 and the engaging piece 50 to each other, and a compressionspring 54 biasing the button 48 downward relative to the support portion14 b. In the following description, the button 48, the engaging piece50, and the screw 52 may collectively be termed a cover holder 47.

As shown in FIG. 8, in a normal state, the button 48 is biased downwardby the compression spring 54 in the cover holding mechanism 46, thus theengaging piece 50 is arranged at a position that does not interfere withopening and closing operations of the cover 16 (hereinbelow may betermed a released position). When the cover 16 is in the open state andfurther the user pushes in the button 48 of the cover holding mechanism46 upward, the engaging piece 50 comes to be arranged at a positioninterfering with the opening and closing operations of the cover 16(which may be termed a holding position) as shown in FIG. 9. In thisstate, the cover 16 engages with the engaging piece 50 even when theforce in the closing direction is acting on the cover 16, so the cover16 can be held in the open state even if the user releases his/her handsfrom the cover 16 and the button 48. From the state shown in FIG. 9,when the user holds the cover 16 to rotate it in the opening directionin a state of having his/her hands released from the button 48,engagement of the cover 16 and the engaging piece 50 is released. Inthis case, as shown in FIG. 8, the engaging piece 50 moves again to thereleased position that does not interfere with the opening and closingoperations of the cover 16 by the biasing force of the compressionspring 54.

Instead of the cover holding mechanism 46, a support rod 56 shown inFIGS. 23 and 24 may be provided. A lower end of the support rod 56 isattached to the inner housing 24 so as to be rotatable around a rotationaxis that is along the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 23, in thenormal state, the support rod 56 is in a reclined state, thus thesupport rod 56 does not interfere with the opening and closingoperations of the cover 16. When the user further pulls up the supportrod 56 in the state where the cover 16 is open, the support rod 56 comesto be arranged at a position interfering with the opening and closingoperations of the cover 16 as shown in FIG. 24. In this state, even ifthe force in the closing direction is acting on the cover 16, since thecover 16 is in contact with the support rod 56, the cover 16 can be heldin the open state even when the user releases his/her hands from thecover 16 and the support rod 56.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the back-carried part 6 is provided with aback plate 60, a support plate 62, and a lock mechanism 64. As shown inFIG. 10, a rear surface of the back plate 60 is provided with aplurality of engaging protrusions 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, 66 d. The engagingprotrusions 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, 66 d protrude rearward from the rearsurface of the back plate 60, and have a shape that is bent upward.Further, latches 68 a, 68 b which the user can operate are provided atupper portions of left and right side surfaces of the back plate 60. Asshown in FIG. 2, the coupling surface P of the frame 14 of the main bodypart 4 is provided with a plurality of engaging grooves 70 a, 70 b, 70c, 70 d arranged at positions and having shapes corresponding to theengaging protrusions 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, 66 d. Further, latch receivers 71a, 71 b corresponding to the latches 68 a, 68 b are provided at upperportions of the left and right side surfaces of the frame 14 of the mainbody part 4. When the main body part 4 is to be attached to theback-carried part 6, the engaging protrusions 66 a, 66 b, 66 c, 66 d ofthe back-carried part 6 are engaged with the engaging grooves 70 a, 70b, 70 c, 70 d of the main body part 4 and further the latches 68 a, 68 bare engaged with the latch receivers 71 a, 71 b to fix the main bodypart 4 to the back-carried part 6.

As shown in FIG. 12, the shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b are provided with: pads72 a, 72 b that come into contact with the back, shoulders, and chest ofthe user; engagement buckles 74 a, 74 b, 74 c, 74 d provided on rearsurfaces at rear portions of the pads 72 a, 72 b; holding bands 76 a, 76b provided on front surfaces of front portions of the pads 72 a, 72 b;adjustment buckles 78 a, 78 b retained by the holding bands 76 a, 76 b;and adjustment bands 80 a, 80 b having their upper ends attached to theadjustment buckles 78 a, 78 b. As shown in FIG. 11, the back plate 60includes engagement holes 82 a, 82 b, 82 c, 82 d with which theengagement buckles 74 a, 74 b, 74 c, 74 d of the shoulder belts 8 a, 8 bare to be engaged. The support plate 62 includes belt attachmentportions 84 a, 84 b to which lower ends of the adjustment bands 80 a, 80b of the shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b are to be attached.

As shown in FIG. 13, the back plate 60 includes an elongated hole 86penetrating from a front surface to a rear surface of the back plate 60and having a longitudinal direction along the up-down direction. Furtherthe front surface of the back plate 60 is provided with a guideprotrusion 88 extending in the up-down direction and engagementreceiving portions 90 a, 90 b arranged on left and right of the guideprotrusion 88 and having a saw teeth-like shape in the up-downdirection. Further as shown in FIG. 10, the rear surface of the backplate 60 includes a guide groove 92 at a periphery of the elongated hole86.

As shown in FIG. 14, the support plate 62 includes a through hole 94penetrating from a front surface to a rear surface of the support plate62. Further, the rear surface of the support plate 62 is provided with aguide recess 96 extending in the up-down direction at a position andwith a shape corresponding to those of the guide protrusion 88 of theback plate 60. Further, the rear surface of the support plate 62 isprovided with engagement portions 98 a, 98 b having a saw teeth-likeshape at positions and with the shape corresponding to those of theengagement receiving portions 90 a, 90 b of the back plate 60. In astate where the support plate 62 is attached to the back plate 60, theengagement portions 98 a, 98 b are engaged with the engagement receivingportions 90 a, 90 b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the waist belt 10 is provided with a pad 73 thatcomes into contact with the waist of the user, a receiving buckle 75provided in a vicinity of a left end of the pad 73, a holding band 77provided in a vicinity of a right end of the pad 73, an adjustmentbuckle 79 held by the holding band 77, an adjustment band 81 held by theadjustment buckle 79, and an inserting buckle 83 provided on theadjustment band 81 and configured to engage with the receiving buckle75. As shown in FIG. 11, bosses 99 a, 99 b, 99 c, 99 d for fixing thepad 73 of the waist belt 10 by screws 97 a, 97 b, 97 c, 97 d areprovided on the front surface of the support plate 62.

As shown in FIG. 15, the lock mechanism 64 is provided with a lock lever100, a hinge pin 102, a support pin 104, a plate 106, and a nut 108. Asshown in FIG. 11, the lock lever 100 is arranged forward than thesupport plate 62. The lock lever 100 has a substantially flat plateshape. As shown in FIG. 15, the lock lever 100 is supported by the hingepin 102 in a vicinity of its upper end. The lock lever 100 is configuredto rotate with the hinge pin 102 as its rotation axis. The vicinity ofthe upper end of the lock lever 100 has a cam shape in which aprotruding degree of a surface facing the support plate 62 changesaccording to a rotating angle. The hinge pin 102 is arranged with itslongitudinal direction along the left-right direction. The hinge pin 102is rotatably supported on the support pin 104. The support pin 104 hasits longitudinal direction along the front-rear direction, and isarranged to penetrate through the through hole 94 of the support plate62 and the elongated hole 86 of the back plate 60. An outer thread screwis provided at a rear end of the support pin 104. As shown in FIG. 10,the plate 106 is arranged rearward than the back plate 60, and isaccommodated in the guide groove 92 of the back plate 60. As shown inFIG. 15, the plate 106 includes a through hole 106 a through which thesupport pin 104 penetrates. The nut 108 is screwed onto the rear end ofthe support pin 104.

As shown in FIG. 15, in a state where the lock lever 100 is rotateddownward, a portion of the lock lever 100 in the vicinity of the upperend thereof presses the support plate 62. In this state, the supportplate 62 and the back plate 60 are pressed together with a strong forcebetween the lock lever 100 and the plate 106. In this case, since theengagement portions 98 a, 98 b of the support plate 62 and theengagement receiving portions 90 a, 90 b of the back plate 60 engagewith each other firmly, the support plate 62 is fixed to the back plate60.

As shown in FIG. 16, in a state where the lock lever 100 is rotatedupward, the portion of the lock lever 100 in the vicinity of the upperend thereof separates away from the support plate 62, by which a stateof the support plate 62 and the back plate 60 being pressed togetherbetween the lock lever 100 and the plate 106 is released. In this case,engagements of the engagement portions 98 a, 98 b of the support plate62 and the engagement receiving portions 90 a, 90 b of the back plate 60are released, and the support plate 62 comes to be capable of sliding inthe up-down direction relative to the back plate 60. When the supportplate 62 is slid to a desired position relative to the back plate 60,the engagement portions 98 a, 98 b are engaged with the engagementreceiving portions 90 a, 90 b, and the lock lever 100 is rotateddownward again, the support plate 62 can be fixed to the back plate 60at this position.

As shown in FIG. 17, upon when the user uses the backpack type powersupply device 2, a position of the support plate 62 in the up-downdirection relative to the back plate 60 can be adjusted so that thewaist belt 10 can be wrapped around at the waist position while havingthe shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b strapped on the shoulders. By configuring asabove, the burden on the body of the user can be reduced. The pads 72 a,72 b of the shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b and the pad 73 of the waist belt 10are each configured to have a large contact area with the user's bodyand have a relatively high rigidity so that a weight of the backpacktype power supply device 2 can be carried on the user's body by beingdistributed.

When the user is not using the backpack type power supply device 2,there may be a case where the user wishes to place the backpack typepower supply device 2 on a horizontal plane with a lower surface of themain body part 4 (lower surface of the support portion 14 b of the frame14) in contact with the horizontal plane. As shown in FIG. 17, in astate where the support plate 62 is located below the back plate 60, alower end of the waist belt 10 is located below the lower surface of themain body part 4, so the backpack type power supply device 2 cannot beplaced on the horizontal plane stably. With the backpack type powersupply device 2 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, thesupport plate 62 can be moved upward relative to the back plate 60 sothat the lower end of the waist belt 10 comes to be located above thelower surface of the main body part 4. By doing so, the backpack typepower supply device 2 can be placed on the horizontal plane with thelower surface of the main body part 4 in contact with the horizontalplane.

As shown in FIG. 25, the lock mechanism 64 may be configured to includea disc spring 107 interposed between the plate 106 and the nut 108. Inthe configuration shown in FIG. 25, even in the state where the locklever 100 is rotated downward and the support plate 62 is fixed to theback plate 60, the disc spring 107 elastically deforms upon when a largeload acts on the support plate 62 and the back plate 60, by which theengagements of the engagement portions 98 a, 98 b and the engagementreceiving portions 90 a, 90 b are released, and thus the support plate62 comes to be capable of sliding relative to the back plate 60. Due tothis, when the large load acts on the support plate 62 and/or the backplate 60, the engagement portions 98 a, 98 b and the engagementreceiving portions 90 a, 90 b are suppressed from being damaged. In theconfiguration shown in FIG. 25, a plate spring or a spring washer may beinterposed between the plate 106 and the nut 108 instead of the discspring 107.

Positional adjustment of the waist belt 10 in the up-down direction maybe realized by another mechanism. For example, as shown in FIG. 26, thewaist belt 10 may be rotatably attached to the support plate 62 via arotation pin 103 under a state in which the support plate 62 is fixed tothe back plate 60 at all times. The rotation pin 103 is arranged lowerthan a center of the waist belt 10 in the up-down direction. Therotation pin 103 has its longitudinal direction along the front-reardirection and the waist belt 10 is configured rotatable relative to thesupport plate 62 around a rotation axis along the front-rear direction.In the state shown in FIG. 26, the lower end of the waist belt 10 islocated above the lower surfaces of the main body part 4 and theback-carried part 6. From this state, when the waist belt 10 is rotated180 degrees relative to the support plate 62 with the rotation pin 103as the rotation axis, the lower end of the waist belt comes to belocated below the lower surfaces of the main body part 4 and theback-carried part 6. The position of the waist belt 10 in the up-downdirection may be adjusted by such a configuration.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 27, the waist belt 10 may be detachablyattached to the back plate 60 via a hook-and-loop fastener 105 withoutproviding the support plate 62. In this case, the user can adjust theposition of the waist belt 10 in the up-down direction to a desiredposition, and then can attach the waist belt 10 to the back plate 60.The position of the waist belt 10 in the up-down direction may beadjusted according to such a configuration.

As shown in FIG. 19, the holding bands 76 a, 76 b of the shoulder belts8 a, 8 b are fixed to the shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b respectively at twoportions, namely upper fixing portions 110 a, 110 b and lower fixingportions 112 a, 112 b. A cable holder 120 shown in FIG. 20 can beattached at each portion of the holding bands 76 a, 76 b between theupper fixing portions 110 a, 110 b and the lower fixing portions 112 a,112 b. By attaching the cable holder 120 to the holding band 76 a (orthe holding band 76 b), the power cable 38 extending from the main bodypart 4 can be held by the cable holder 120 upon when the power cable 38is to be extended from the user's back and onto the chest by strappingit over a shoulder, that is, when the power cable 38 is to be extendedalong an outer surface of the pad 72 a (or the pad 72 b) of the shoulderbelt 8 a (or the shoulder belt 8 b), for example.

As shown in FIG. 20, the cable holder 120 is provided with a bandattachment section 122 and a cable holding section 124. The bandattachment section 122 includes: a first straight portion 122 a thatextends straight in a X direction; a first foldback portion 122 b thatgradually curves in a negative Z direction from an end of the firststraight portion 122 a in a positive X direction and gradually curvesfurther in a negative X direction; a second straight portion 122 c thatextends straight in the negative X direction from the first foldbackportion 122 b; a second foldback portion 122 d that gradually curves inthe negative Z direction from an end of the first straight portion 122 ain the negative X direction and gradually curves further in the positiveX direction, and a third straight portion 122 e that extends straight inthe positive X direction from the second foldback portion 122 d. Thefirst straight portion 122 a, the first foldback portion 122 b, thesecond straight portion 122 c, the second foldback portion 122 d, andthe third straight portion 122 e all have a cross sectional shape of asubstantially square with rounded corners. The second straight portion122 c and the third straight portion 122 e are arranged colinearly. Agap 122 f through which the holding band 76 a (or the holding band 76 b)can pass is provided between a distal end of the second straight portion122 c and a distal end of the third straight portion 122 e. In a statewhere the cable holder 120 is attached to the holding band 76 a, aperiphery of the holding band 76 a is surrounded by the first straightportion 122 a, the first foldback portion 122 b, the second straightportion 122 c, the second foldback portion 122 d, and the third straightportion 122 e. According to this structure, the cable holder 120 cansurely be attached to the holding band 76 a.

The cable holding section 124 includes a cylindrical portion 124 ahaving its center axis extending along a Y direction and having acylindrical shape with an opened end in a positive Z direction, and afirst guide portion 124 b and a second guide portion 124 c that curveoutward from respective ends of the cylindrical portion 124 a. Anopening 124 d is provided between the first guide portion 124 b and thesecond guide portion 124 c. The cylindrical portion 124 a, the firstguide portion 124 b, and the second guide portion 124 c are configuredto be wider than the band attachment section 122 in the Y direction. Thecylindrical portion 124 a is integrally configured with the firststraight portion 122 a of the band attachment section 122. A width ofthe opening 124 d is smaller than a cable diameter of the power cable 38in a normal state. Upon holding the power cable 38 by the cable holdingsection 124, the cylindrical portion 124 a elastically deforms in adirection widening the opening 124 d by pushing the power cable 38 fromoutside the cylindrical portion 124 a into the opening 124 d, by whichthe power cable 38 becomes accommodated inside the cylindrical portion124 a. Upon detaching the power cable 38 from the cable holding section124, the cylindrical portion 124 a elastically deforms in the directionwidening the opening 124 d by pulling out the power cable 38 from withinthe cylindrical portion 124 a through the opening 124 d, by which thepower cable 38 is taken out from the cylindrical portion 124 a.

In the cable holder 120, the first straight portion 122 a, the firstfoldback portion 122 b, the second straight portion 122 c, the secondfoldback portion 122 d, and the third straight portion 122 e of the bandattachment section 122 all have the cross-sectional shape of asubstantially square with rounded corners. Due to this, even in a casewhere external force in a direction shifting the cable holder 120 downacts on the cable holder 120 in the state of having the cable holder 120attached to the holding band 76 a, the cable holder 120 shifts downwithout fighting against the external force, thus the band attachmentsection 122 can be suppressed from being damaged. The cross-sectionalshape of the first straight portion 122 a, the first foldback portion122 b, the second straight portion 122 c, the second foldback portion122 d, and the third straight portion 122 e may be any cross-sectionalshape so long as the shape facilitates rolling, and for example, it maybe a shape with no corners such as a substantially circular shape and asubstantially oval shape, and may be a polygonal shape of which cornersform obtuse angles, such as a substantially hexagonal shape and asubstantially octagonal shape.

In the cable holder 120, the gap 122 f for putting the holding band 76 ainto and out of the band attachment section 122 is provided at aposition that does not face either end of the holding band 76 a when theholding band 76 a is attached. Due to this, the cable holder 120 can besuppressed from inadvertently becoming detached from the holding band 76a.

In the cable holder 120, the width of the opening 124 d of the cableholding section 124 changes by elastic deformation of the cylindricalportion 124 a. Due to this, even when the user accidentally drops anelectrically-powered device (such as a power tool) to which the powercable 38 is attached in the state where the cable holding section 124 isholding the power cable 38, the cylindrical portion 124 a elasticallydeforms to widen the opening 124 d, and the power cable 38 detaches fromthe cable holding section 124. By configuring as above, theelectrically-powered device can be suppressed from colliding with theuser by the power cable 38 moving like a pendulum with the cable holder120 as a fulcrum upon when the user accidentally drops theelectrically-powered device to which the power cable 38 is attached.

Alternatively, instead of the cable holder 120 of FIG. 20, a cableholder 130 of FIG. 21 may be used. The cable holder 130 includes a bandattachment section 132 and a cable holding section 134. The bandattachment section 132 includes: a first flat portion 132 a that extendsflat in the X direction; a foldback portion 132 b that gradually curvesin the negative Z direction from an end of the first flat portion 132 ain the negative X direction; a curved portion 132 c that graduallycurves in the positive X direction from the foldback portion 132 b andgradually curves further in the positive Z direction; a second flatportion 132 d that extends flat in the positive X direction from thecurved portion 132 c; a first guide portion 132 e that curves outwardfrom an end of the first flat portion 132 a in the positive X direction;and a second guide portion 132 f that curves outward from an end of thesecond flat portion 132 d in the positive X direction. A gap 132 g isprovided between the first flat portion 132 a and the second flatportion 132 d. A width of the gap 132 g is smaller than a thickness ofthe holding bands 76 a, 76 b. Upon attaching the cable holder 130 to theholding band 76 a, the holding band 76 a is inserted into the bandattachment section 132 through the gap 132 g. In doing so, the curvedportion 132 c elastically deforms, by which the holding band 76 a isheld between the first flat portion 132 a and the second flat portion132 d in a state of having a majority of the holding band 76 a havingentered inside the band attachment section 132.

The cable holding section 134 includes a first curved portion 134 a, asecond curved portion 134 b, a third guide portion 134 c that curvesoutward from the first curved portion 134 a, and a fourth guide portion134 d that curves outward from the second curved portion 134 b. Thefirst curved portion 134 a and the second curved portion 134 b havetheir longitudinal direction in the Z direction when seen in a plan viewalong a positive Y direction, and form an oval shape having an openedend in the positive Z direction. The first curved portion 134 a and thesecond curved portion 134 b are integrally configured with the firstflat portion 132 a of the band attachment section 132. An opening 134 eis provided between the third guide portion 134 c and the fourth guideportion 134 d. A width of the opening 134 e is smaller than the cablediameter of the power cable 38 in the normal state. Upon holding thepower cable 38 by the cable holding section 134, the first curvedportion 134 a and the second curved portion 134 b elastically deform ina direction widening the opening 134 e by pushing the power cable 38from outside the cable holding section 134 through the opening 134 e, bywhich the power cable 38 becomes accommodated inside the cable holdingsection 134. Upon detaching the power cable 38 from the cable holdingsection 134, the first curved portion 134 a and the second curvedportion 134 b elastically deform in the direction widening the opening134 e by pulling out the power cable 38 from within the cable holdingportion 134 through the opening 134 e, by which the power cable 38 istaken out from the cable holding section 134.

In the cable holder 130, the width of the opening 134 e of the cableholding section 134 changes by elastic deformation of the first curvedportion 134 a and the second curved portion 134 b. Due to this, evenwhen the user accidentally drops the electrically-powered device (suchas a power tool) to which the power cable 38 is attached in the statewhere the cable holding section 134 is holding the power cable 38, thefirst curved portion 134 a and the second curved portion 134 belastically deform to widen the opening 134 e, and the power cable 38detaches from the cable holding section 134. By configuring as above,the electrically-powered device can be suppressed from colliding withthe user by the power cable 38 moving like a pendulum with the cableholder 130 as a fulcrum upon when the user accidentally drops theelectrically-powered device to which the power cable 38 is attached.

Alternatively, instead of the cable holder 120 of FIG. 20, a cableholder 140 of FIG. 22 may be used. The cable holder 140 includes a bandattachment section 142 and a cable holding section 144. The bandattachment section 142 includes: a first straight portion 142 a thatextends straight in the X direction; a first foldback portion 142 b thatgradually curves in the negative Z direction from an end of the firststraight portion 142 a in the positive X direction and gradually curvesfurther in the negative X direction; a second straight portion 142 cthat extends straight in the negative X direction from the firstfoldback portion 142 b; a second foldback portion 142 d that graduallycurves in the negative Z direction from an end of the first straightportion 142 a in the negative X direction and gradually curves furtherin the positive X direction; and a third straight portion 142 e thatextends straight in the positive X direction from the second foldbackportion 142 d. The first straight portion 142 a, the first foldbackportion 142 b, the second straight portion 142 c, the second foldbackportion 142 d, and the third straight portion 142 e all have a crosssectional shape of a substantially square with rounded corners. Thesecond straight portion 142 c and the third straight portion 142 e arearranged colinearly. A gap 142 f through which the holding band 76 a (orthe holding band 76 b) can pass is provided between a distal end of thesecond straight portion 142 c and a distal end of the third straightportion 142 e. In a state where the cable holder 140 is attached to theholding band 76 a, the periphery of the holding band 76 a is surroundedby the first straight portion 142 a, the first foldback portion 142 b,the second straight portion 142 c, the second foldback portion 142 d,and the third straight portion 142 e. According to this structure, thecable holder 140 can surely be attached to the holding band 76 a.

The cable holding section 144 includes a first curved portion 144 a, asecond curved portion 144 b, a first guide portion 144 c that curvesoutward from the first curved portion 144 a, a second guide portion 144d that curves outward from the second curved portion 144 b, a firstretaining portion 144 e that extends inward in a flat shape from thefirst curved portion 144 a, and a second retaining portion 144 f thatextends inward in a flat shape from the second curved portion 144 b. Thefirst curved portion 144 a and the second curved portion 144 b havetheir longitudinal direction in the Z direction when seen in the planview along the positive Y direction, and form an oval shape having anopened end in the positive Z direction. The first curved portion 144 aand the second curved portion 144 b are integrally configured with thefirst straight portion 142 a of the band attachment section 142. Anopening 144 g is provided between the first guide portion 144 c and thesecond guide portion 144 d. A width of the opening 144 g is smaller thanthe cable diameter of the power cable 38 in the normal state. Uponholding the power cable 38 by the cable holding section 144, the firstcurved portion 144 a and the second curved portion 144 b elasticallydeform in a direction widening the opening 144 g by pushing the powercable 38 from outside the cable holding section 144 through the opening144 g, by which the power cable 38 becomes accommodated inside the cableholding section 144. Upon detaching the power cable 38 from the cableholding section 144, the first curved portion 144 a or the second curvedportion 144 b is elastically deformed in the direction widening theopening 144 g by grabbing the first guide portion 144 c or the secondguide portion 144 d. Then, the power cable 38 is positioned between thefirst retaining portion 144 e and the second retaining portion 144 f andthe power cable 38 is pulled out from within the cable holding section144 through the opening 144 g, by which the power cable 38 is taken outfrom the cable holding section 144.

In the cable holder 140, the first straight portion 142 a, the firstfoldback portion 142 b, the second straight portion 142 c, the secondfoldback portion 142 d, and the third straight portion 142 e of the bandattachment section 142 all have a cross sectional shape of asubstantially square with rounded corners. Due to this, even in a casewhere external force in a direction shifting the cable holder 140 downacts on the cable holder 140 in the state of having the cable holder 140attached to the holding band 76 a, the cable holder 140 shifts downwithout fighting against the external force, thus the band attachmentsection 142 can be suppressed from being damaged. The cross-sectionalshape of the first straight portion 142 a, the first foldback portion142 b, the second straight portion 142 c, the second foldback portion142 d, and the third straight portion 142 e may be any cross-sectionalshape so long as the shape facilitates rolling, and for example, it maybe a shape with no corners such as a substantially circular shape and asubstantially oval shape, and may be a polygonal shape of which cornersform obtuse angles, such as a substantially hexagonal shape and asubstantially octagonal shape.

In the cable holder 140, the gap 142 f for putting the holding band 76 ainto and out of the band attachment section 142 is provided at aposition that does not face either end of the holding band 76 a when theholding band 76 a is attached. Due to this, the cable holder 140 can besuppressed from inadvertently becoming detached from the holding band 76a.

In the cable holder 140, the first retaining portion 144 e and thesecond retaining portion 144 f are provided in a vicinity of the opening144 g of the cable holding section 144. Due to this, the power cable 38can be suppressed from inadvertently becoming detached from the cableholder 140.

Instead of being attached to the holding bands 76 a, 76 b of theshoulder belts 8 a, 8 b, the cable holders 120, 130, 140 may be attachedto other bands, such as the adjustment bands 80 a, 80 b of the shoulderbelts 8 a, 8 b. Alternatively, the cable holders 120, 130, 140 may beattached to the holding band 77 and the adjustment band 81 of the waistbelt 10. Alternatively, the cable holders 120, 130, 140 may be attachedto other bands (not shown) which the user is wearing.

In one or more embodiments, the main body part 4 (which is an example ofa battery mount device) of the backpack type power supply device 2includes: the housing 15 to which the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20d are detachably attached; and the cover 16 attached to the housing 15so as to cover the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d and configuredto open and close by rotating around the rotation axis. In a state wherethe main body part 4 is placed on a horizontal plane, force in thedirection closing the cover 16 acts on the cover 16.

According to the above configuration, in the state where the main bodypart 4 is placed on a horizontal plane, the force in the directionclosing the cover 16 acts on the cover 16, thus the cover 16 can surelybe kept closed. Due to this, even in a case where water splashes on themain body part 4, the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d can besuppressed from becoming wet.

In one or more embodiments, the main body part 4 is further providedwith the sealer 42 configured to seal the periphery of the cover 16 whenthe cover 16 is closed.

According to the above configuration, even in the case where watersplashes on the main body part 4, the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20d can surely be suppressed from becoming wet.

In one or more embodiments, the main body part 4 is further providedwith the torsion spring 40 (which is an example of a biasing member)configured to bias the cover 16 in the direction closing the cover 16.In this case, the force in the direction closing the cover 16 that actson the cover 16 in the state where the main body part 4 is placed on ahorizontal plane includes biasing force by the torsion spring 40.

According to the above configuration, the torsion spring 40 biases thecover 16 in the closing direction even when the main body part 4 is notin the state of being placed on a horizontal plane. Even in the casewhere water splashes on the main body part 4 when the main body part 4is not in the state of being placed on a horizontal plane, the batterypacks 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d can be suppressed from becoming wet.

In one or more embodiments, the main body part 4 is further providedwith the latch member 44 and the latch receiver 14 c (which are anexample of a lock mechanism) configured to hold the state where thecover 16 is closed after the cover 16 is closed.

According to the above configuration, even in a case where force in adirection opening the cover 16 inadvertently acts on the cover 16 afterthe cover 16 is closed, this state in which the cover 16 is closed canbe maintained. A situation in which the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c,20 d becomes wet can surely be suppressed from occurring.

In one or more embodiments, the main body part 4 (which is an example ofa battery mount device) of the backpack type power supply device 2includes: the housing 15 to which the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20d are detachably attached; the cover 16 attached to the housing 15 so asto cover the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d and configured to openand close by rotating around the rotation axis; and the cover holdingmechanism 46 configured to hold the cover 16 in the open state. Thecover holding mechanism 46 is provided with the cover holder 47configured to move between the holding position interfering with therotating motion of the cover 16 and the released position notinterfering with the rotating motion of the cover 16 according to anoperation by the user.

According to the above configuration, the cover 16 can be held in theopen state by the cover holding mechanism 46 upon attaching or detachingthe battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d to or from the housing 15, thusthe user does not have to hold the cover 16 in the open state bygripping it with one of his/her hands. Attaching and detaching work ofthe battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d can be performed easily.

In one or more embodiments, the cover holding mechanism 46 furtherincludes the compression spring 54 (which is an example of a firstbiasing member) configured to bias the cover holder 47 from the holdingposition toward the released position.

According to the above configuration, the cover holder 47 can bereturned from the holding position to the released position by thebiasing force of the compression spring 54 after the attaching anddetaching work of the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d is completed.

In one or more embodiments, the main body part 4 further includes thetorsion spring 40 (which is an example of a second biasing member)configured to bias the cover 16 in the direction closing the cover 16.

According to the above configuration, the cover 16 can surely be keptclosed in a situation where the attaching and detaching work of thebattery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d is not being performed.

In one or more embodiments, the main body part 4 further includes thepower cable 38 (which is an example of a power output) configured tooutput power from the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d to anotherdevice. The main body part 4 is configured capable of attaching theshoulder belts 8 a, 8 b which the user straps on his/her shoulders.

According to the above configuration, the backpack type power supplydevice 2 using the main body part 4 can be realized.

In one or more embodiments, the rotation axis of the cover 16 extendsalong the longitudinal direction of the housing 15.

If the rotation axis of the cover 16 extends orthogonal to thelongitudinal direction of the housing 15, a tip of the cover 16 rotateson a large trajectory upon opening and closing the cover 16, thus itcould easily interfere with the body of the user or with a surroundingobject. By configuring the rotation axis of the cover 16 to extend alongthe longitudinal direction of the housing 15 as above, the tip of thecover 16 can be rotated on a small trajectory upon opening and closingthe cover 16, and interference with the body of the user or with thesurrounding object can be suppressed from occurring.

In one or more embodiments, the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d areconfigured to be attached to or detached from the housing 15 by slidingin the sliding direction. The sliding direction is substantiallyparallel to a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis of the cover 16.

According to the above configuration, the cover 16 does not interfereupon opening the cover 16 relative to the housing 15 and sliding thebattery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d in the sliding direction relativeto the housing 15. The attaching and detaching work of the battery packs20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d can easily be performed.

In one or more embodiments, the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d arearranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 15.

According to the above configuration, upon sliding one of the batterypacks 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, such as the battery pack 20 a, in thesliding direction relative to the housing 15, other battery packs 20 b,20 c, 20 d attached to the housing 15 do not interfere. The attachingand detaching work of the battery packs 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d can moreeasily be performed.

In one or more embodiments, the cable holders 120, 130, 140 include theband attachment sections 122, 132, 142 detachably attached to theholding band 76 a (which is an example of a band) which the user iswearing and the cable holding sections 124, 134, 144 configured todetachably hold the power cable 38 (which is an example of a cable).Each pair of the band attachment sections 122, 132, 142 and the cableholding sections 124, 134, 144 is integrally configured.

According to the above configuration, since the band attachment sections122, 132, 142 are configured to be detachably attached to the holdingband 76 a, only the cable holders 120, 130, 140 can be detached withoutdetaching the holding band 76 a which the user is wearing.

In one or more embodiments, the band attachment sections 122, 142 areprovided with the gaps 122 f, 142 f and have the shape surrounding theperiphery of the holding band 76 a.

According to the above configuration, the cable holders 120, 140 can beattached to and detached from the holding band 76 a by inserting ortaking out the holding band 76 a into or from the band attachmentsections 122, 142 through the gaps 122 f, 142 f.

In one or more embodiments, the band attachment sections 122, 142 havethe cross-sectional shape that facilitates rolling.

According to the above configuration, when the external force in thedirection shifting the cable holders 120, 140 down acts on the cableholders 120, 140 attached to the holding band 76 a, the cable holders120, 140 shift down without fighting against the external force. Thus,the cable holders 120, 140 can be suppressed from being damaged.

In one or more embodiments, the cable holding sections 124, 134 have theshape including the openings 124 d, 134 e. The width of the openings 124d, 134 e is smaller than the cable diameter of the power cable 38 in thenormal state, and becomes larger than the cable diameter of the powercable 38 by the elastic deformation of the cable holding sections 124,134 upon attaching or detaching the power cable 38.

According to the above configuration, the power cable 38 can be attachedto or detached from the cable holders 120, 130 by inserting or takingout the power cable 38 into or from the cable holding sections 124, 134through the openings 124 d, 134 e. Further, according to the aboveconfiguration, when large force acts on the power cable 38, such as whenthe device connected to the power cable 38 falls and the power cable 38is thereby yanked, the power cable 38 detaches from the cable holders120, 130, and the power cable 38 separates away from the holding band 76a which the user is wearing. By configuring as above, user safety can beensured.

In one or more embodiments, the holding band 76 a to which the cableholders 120, 130, 140 are attached is provided on the shoulder belt 8 aof the backpack type power supply device 2. The power cable 38 which thecable holders 120, 130, 140 hold extends from the backpack type powersupply device 2.

According to the above configuration, the power cable 38 which extendsfrom the backpack type power supply device 2 is extended from the user'sback over the shoulder and along the chest, by which the power cable 38can be suppressed from becoming loose and sagged.

In one or more embodiments, the backpack type power supply device 2(which is an example of a backpack type device) includes the body 5, theshoulder belts 8 a, 8 b which the user straps over his/her shoulders,and the waist belt 10 which the user wraps around his/her waist. Thewaist belt 10 is configured to switch between the state in which thelower end of the waist belt 10 is located below the lower surface of thebody 5 and the state in which the lower end of the waist belt 10 islocated above the lower surface of the body 5. The backpack type powersupply device 2 is configured capable of bringing the lower surface ofthe body 5 into contact with a horizontal plane to be placed on thehorizontal plane in the state where the lower end of the waist belt 10is located above the lower surface of the body 5.

According to the above configuration, when the user uses the backpacktype power supply device 2 by carrying it on his/her back, the positionof the waist belt 10 can be adjusted to the position of the user's waistby bringing the waist belt 10 to the state where the lower end of thewaist belt 10 is located below the lower surface of the body 5, and theburden on the user's body can be reduced. Further, upon placing thebackpack type power supply device 2 on a horizontal plane, the waistbelt 10 can be arranged such that the lower surface of the body 5 isbrought into contact with the horizontal plane to be placed on thehorizontal plane in the state where the lower end of the waist belt 10is located above the lower surface of the body 5.

In one or more embodiments, the body 5 includes the main body part 4 andthe back-carried part 6 to which the main body part 4 is detachablyattached, and to which the shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b and the waist belt 10are attached.

According to the above configuration, the main body part 4 may be usedor be subjected to maintenance in the state of having detached the mainbody part 4 from the back-carried part 6.

In one or more embodiments, the back-carried part 6 includes the backplate 60 to which upper ends of the shoulder belts 8 a, 8 b areattached, the support plate 62 to which the waist belt 10 is attachedand configured capable of changing its position in the up-down directionrelative to the back plate 60, and the lock mechanism 64 configured tofix the position of the support plate 62 relative to the back plate 60.The lower surface of the body 5 is constituted by the main body part 4and/or the back plate 60.

According to the above configuration, the state where the lower end ofthe waist belt 10 is located below the lower surface of the body 5 andthe state where the lower end of the waist belt 10 is located above thelower surface of the body 5 can be switched with a relatively simpleconfiguration.

In one or more embodiments, the waist belt 10 is attached so as to berotatable around the rotation axis extending in the front-rear directionrelative to the body 5. The rotation axis of the waist belt 10 isarranged at a position separated away from a center of the waist belt 10in the up-down direction.

According to the above configuration, the waist belt 10 can be switchedfrom the state where the lower end of the waist belt 10 is located belowthe lower surface of the body 5 to the state where the lower end of thewaist belt 10 is located above the lower surface of the body 5 byrotating 180 degrees around the rotation axis relative to the body 5.The switch between the state where the lower end of the waist belt 10 islocated below the lower surface of the body 5 and the state where thelower end of the waist belt 10 is located above the lower surface of thebody 5 can be performed with a relatively simple configuration.

In one or more embodiments, the waist belt 10 is detachably attached tothe body 5 by the hook-and-loop fastener 105.

According to the above configuration, the state where the lower end ofthe waist belt 10 is located below the lower surface of the body 5 andthe state where the lower end of the waist belt 10 is located above thelower surface of the body 5 can be switched by adjusting an attachingposition of the waist belt 10 relative to the body 5 in the up-downdirection. The switch between the state where the lower end of the waistbelt 10 is located below the lower surface of the body 5 and the statewhere the lower end of the waist belt 10 is located above the lowersurface of the body 5 can be performed with a relatively simpleconfiguration.

What is claimed is:
 1. A backpack type device comprising: a body; ashoulder belt configured to be strapped on a shoulder of a user, and awaist belt configured to be wrapped around a waist of the user, whereinthe waist belt is configured to switch between a state in which a lowerend of the waist belt is below a lower surface of the body and a statein which the lower end of the waist belt is above the lower surface ofthe body, and the backpack type device is configured capable of beingplaced on a horizontal plane with the lower surface of the body incontact with the horizontal plane on which the backpack type device isplaced in the state in which the lower end of the waist belt is abovethe lower surface of the body.
 2. The backpack type device according toclaim 1, wherein the body comprises: a main body portion; and a backcarrier portion to which the main body portion is detachably attachedand to which the shoulder belt and the waist belt are attached.
 3. Thebackpack type device according to claim 2, wherein the back carrierportion comprises: a back plate to which an upper end of the shoulderbelt is attached; a support plate to which the waist belt is attachedand a position of which in an up-down direction relative to the backplate is configured changeable; and a lock mechanism configured to fixthe position of the support plate in the up-down direction relative tothe back plate, wherein the main body portion and/or the back plateconstitute the lower surface of the body.
 4. The backpack type deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the waist belt is attached to the body soas to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a front-reardirection relative to the body, and the rotation axis is separated awayfrom a center of the waist belt in an up-down direction
 5. The backpacktype device according to claim 1, wherein the waist belt is detachablyattached to the body by a hook-and-loop fastener.